Journalist Hilal Al-Ahmadi lost his life as a result of an armed attack in front of his house in Mosul, one the world's most dangerous cities for journalists. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) firmly condemned the murder.

Hilal Al-Ahmadi, who worked for two local weekly papers Mosul Echo and Iraqiyoun, was shot with a submachine-gun fired from a car as he exited his home in Mithaq Neighborhood, an eastern district of Mosul in order to go to work. Many bullets hit the journalist's body at the scene where he lost his life while the perpetrators escaped. An investigation has been launched into Ahmadi’s killing.

Hilal Al-Ahmadi, 50 and a father of four, was dismissed two weeks ago as head of the Ninawa provincial government’s communication and media department. His colleagues said his articles drew attention to corruption and the lack of social services in the region.

Paris-based organization Reporters Without Borders condemned Al-Ahmadi’s murder and said they are extremely shocked by his death. ““The murders of journalists in Iraq are not letting up and generalized impunity is fueling the cycle of violence. Very few of the 232 murders of media personnel in Iraq since 2003 have been thoroughly and conclusively investigated. We demand an investigation that establishes the precise reasons for this murder. Those responsible must be arrested and brought to justice. Impunity must not prevail in Iraq” stated the organization.

Translation: Berna Ozgencil